FAYETTEVILLE — Tyler Wilson carefully weighed his options last January, choosing between his senior season at Arkansas or the NFL Draft.

He had a chance to be a first-round pick after one big season as a starting quarterback. Or he could try to lead the Razorbacks to new heights. In the end, Wilson decided he wanted he would remain on campus and help the Hogs chase a title.

Reaching that goal looks pretty challenging after Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino’s high-profile firing last week. But Wilson refused to express regret about staying in school Friday.

“You make decisions on what you have at the time,” Wilson said, speaking publicly for the first time since Petrino was fired on April 10.

“I had that decision in place at the time. Once I made the decision, I’m not looking back.”

Wilson, instead, spoke about doing everything he can to guide Arkansas through turmoil as it moves into its final week of spring practice.

Petrino’s motorcycle accident, admission he was having an inappropriate relationship with newly-hired employee Jessica Dorrell, and firing for cause by athletic director Jeff has cast a dark cloud over Arkansas’ spring. Uncertainty lingers, too, with no decision on who will lead the program through the 2012 season.

But Wilson said the only thing he and his teammates can do is work through the week.

“I think anybody would say at times you’re confused, frustrated, all those emotions go through, no question,” Wilson said. “But you’ve got to move on. That’s what I’ve already told everybody. It’s already happened. You’ve got to move on. It’s how you deal with it in life. Use it as an opportunity rather than an excuse.”

Wilson said it’s a lesson his parents, Don and Suzy, have taught him since he was young.

If spring practice is any indication, the quarterback is setting a fine example. The scandal has overshadowed the fact Wilson looks like a Heisman Trophy contender with the way he has carved up the defense in three scrimmages.

Wilson has completed 80 of 104 passes (76.9 percent) for 1,126 yards with 13 touchdowns without an interception. He isn’t doing it against reserves, either. Every pass has been thrown against Arkansas’ first-team group.

“He’s been real efficient,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said. “He understands the offense a lot more. But as much as anything, he’s been a great leader. He’s stood up and talked to the players and he comes out there with a great passion and energy every day and practices hard. That’s contagious.

“That’s what we talk about as an offense and in the quarterback room. Let’s come out here every day, we control our attitude and our effort.”

It’s no surprise the offense has been dominant with Wilson shining, too. He has led the starters to 20 scores on 30 possessions.

“He’s so much more confident back there,” receiver Cobi Hamilton said last month. “He knows the calls. He knows the checks. He’s very coachable, and when you’re coachable and have the talent he has, the sky’s the limit for you.

“He looks amazing out there.”

Wilson held his emotions in check Friday night, calmly facing a litany of questions in the aftermath of Petrino’s abrupt departure.

He had no inkling of the coach’s decisions in his personal life. He expressed no desire to leave Arkansas despite the scandal. He wouldn’t lobby, publicly, for any assistant to step in and land an interim job over another.

But Wilson did confirm a meeting with athletic director Jeff Long, where he stated his case for keeping the current coaching staff intact.

The fifth-year senior’s reasoning is simple: he has become an expert in Petrino’s offense.

“I learn things through doing it on the football field,” Wilson said. “I’m pretty good at it now and that’s what is motivating for me. I’ve got this offense and this system. I know it inside and out. I can teach it to guys. I think that’s what is beneficial for me if these guys stay.”

But even if big changes are made at the end of spring practice, Wilson said he won’t shy away from the challenge. Leaving Arkansas after his junior year wasn’t an option. It isn’t now.